Top 100 Personal Development Blogs 2018

Damn, I love this time of year. It’s all about setting your year up for massive success and what better way of doing that then presenting you with the best personal development blogs for 2018. In fact, we bring you the Top 100!

This is the fifth year that we have compiled the Top 100 personal development blogs and every year we see more and more blogs adding great value to people all around the world.

I must say, because of all the awesome value that everyone is putting out there on the internet, it is getting harder and harder for personal development bloggers to make this list. So if you have made the list of the Top 100 personal development blogs this year then I, and everyone else, give you HUGE congratulations!

But firstly, I hope you had an absolutely fantastic night to bring in 2018. Sylvia and I had relatively quiet one with our two daughters.

Now, more than ever, is the perfect time to regain focus on what you truly want in life and ensure you have the strategies and support you need to be successful at it too. The turn of the New Year gives us a clear time to separate the past and move forward into the future.

Being a student of the personal development industry most of my life, I’m always on the lookout for the latest and greatest resources to not only implement into my own life but to also share with those around me. Since I’ve been running my own business I’ve fallen more and more into the well of personal development and self-improvement and I absolutely love it! With the internet now a common place for everyone and the ‘free economy’ being born, it’s amazing to know that what was once hidden from the majority of people and limited to a select few people paying $5,000 to access information at a weekend seminar, this information is now mostly widely available for free on the internet or at least at a much more affordable price.

The key to all this information is being able to pull what’s relevant for you and being able to apply that information in a systematic and successful way that will lead you towards your desired life.

The Best Personal Development Blogs for 2018

I feel honoured to know that over the last few years I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know a lot of the blog owners in this list and share some great experiences with them. But not only that, there are so many of you making an impact in this world through your personal development blogs I can certainly say that after sifting through each and every self-improvement blog, I’m highly impressed with everyone’s work!

It is somewhat tricky putting together a list of the Top 100 personal development blogs as it can be rather subjective in nature. To avoid this, I’ve removed any of my own opinions or judgements and let pure metrics do the talking.

As with previous years, what I have created is a list of personal development blogs that rank from the most trafficked (largest number of visitors) down to the least trafficked. This list will provide you with a clear indication of how large a website is and its relative importance in the personal development blogosphere. Keep in mind, even though the blogs towards the bottom are the ‘least trafficked’, they are still within the Top 100 out of hundreds and thousands of personal development blogs out there on the internet (if not more!).

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that a larger site (a site ranked towards the top) does not necessarily indicate that the site is of better quality. Generally speaking, you will find that the larger sites have been around for longer and have more blog posts and content being crawled by Google. Because of this, they are sure to have larger audiences. In saying that, however, the top sites have lasted the test of time and continue to have strong readership so they must be doing something right!

Also, we do have a number of new blogs now ranking in the Top 100 that only started a year or two ago… massive congrats to these high achievers!

One thing to add, it always makes me smile when I see other people creating Top Personal Development Blog lists… because they’re almost an exact copy of this list! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? This is the fifth year our official list has been compiled and we continue to make it more comprehensive each year.

How to Use This List

This is YOUR LIST.

This is a resource that I encourage you to save and come back to on a regular basis. As we progress throughout the year we all face different challenges and often those challenges have already been faced by others elsewhere in the world. That’s when I suggest you return to this list and find the right blog to guide you.

Each personal development blog is unique and has its own style and purpose. You will also find that you will resonate strongly with some blog owners and their content and perhaps less so with others. For this reason, there is a wide variety of blogs on the list; including business, career and work, happiness, health, productivity and more. The one thing in common is that they all are themed around self-improvement.

My recommendation to you is to browse through each of the blogs below at least once and then pick out the two or three blogs that really resonate with you.

Think about the below questions as you sift through each blog:

Which blogs are most closely aligned to what you want to achieve in life?

Which author has accomplished something that you would like to accomplish?

Which blogs can help you right now in life and which ones might help you in the future?

Be sure to subscribe to their content and make personal development a key focus for you this year. It’s like having a free mentor or coach.

How The Top 100 Personal Development Blogs are Ranked

The Top 100 Personal Development Blogs are ranked in order from the most-trafficked (largest number of visitors) to the least-trafficked (although the smallest in this case is still a Top 100 Blog!)

There are two primary tools that have been used for determining this ranking.

Firstly, I have used the Alexa rank of the website as the primary ranking method. Alexa provides a relative ranking of each website based on the number of visitors it receives. A rank of 100,000 would mean that the site is the 100,000th most visited site on the internet. With the millions and millions of websites on the internet, such a ranking is classified as pretty good! Just so you know, Google’s rank is #1, Facebook is ranked #2 and YouTube is ranked #3.

Secondly, I have included Similar Web Rank. Similar Web is another online tool that was mentioned to me on a number of occasions as a more accurate tool for determining website traffic. Interestingly, I found that when compiling this list, the Alexa and Similar Web rankings were almost perfectly correlated.

This then led to the Average Rank. The Average Ranks is simply the average between the Alexa and Similar Web ranks.

People often question the validity of such tools, however, when comparing more generally the relative size of a website they are quite accurate and very useful indicators. Other tools might indicate that a lower-ranked blog in our Top 100 is infact larger than a higher-ranked blog, but generally speaking, the Top 10 websites will always be larger than those ranked 10-20, and those ranked 10-20 will always be larger than those ranked 20-30 etc. To sum it up, the larger and more trafficked sites will always tend to be ranked higher regardless of the tool being used.

Do you want to get really funky with the Top 100 blogs? I’m pleased to let you know that the Top 100 table is dynamic. This means that you can search for your favourite blog to see where it is ranked and sort by any column, such as page rank or alphabetical order. This is your list. Have fun with it!

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The Winners

CONGRATULATIONS to every blogger that has made this Top 100 list! I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world.

If your blog is one of the Top 100, you have the honour of displaying the following badge on your site. This is the most comprehensive list of personal development blogs on the internet and I’m honoured to have you as part of this! Simply use the code provided below to add it to your site.

Use the below code to display this badge proudly on your website. You deserve it!:

Comments

Wow, almost missed it this year. Thanks so much for putting this together, Brendan, it’s the 3rd year in a row for me, and I have to confess that just being here, along with these personal development living legends, it’s a fantastic honor for me. And a huge incentive to do even better next year. Kudoz! 🙂

Look forward to this list each year 🙂 It’s a great resource to find sites and authors that are inspiring and making a difference in the personal development space. Few of my favorites on here are stevepavlina.com, justbereal.co.uk and addicted2success.com. Would love to make the list some day alongside these great writers.

Hey Brendan, thanks for putting together such a great list of personal development blogs. I’m really happy to see that this year Chantalle and I made it into the top 100 :). It feels a bit surreal to be included among such famous and established bloggers. Thanks to your list I’ve also now discovered a few other blogs that I’ll start following this year.

Let me start by thanking you for compiling such a wonderful list each year, and adding my blog to it as well. Feels great to be included each year, and hoping to do so in the coming years as well 🙂

It’s always good to connect with other established bloggers, especially the ones we don’t know, and your post is always one looks forward to each year. We so appreciate the hard work and efforts you put into creating such a great resource for all.

Thanks for sharing it with us, and wishing you and yours a very Happy & Prosperous New Year 🙂

Harleena, it’s always such a pleasure to hear from you! You’ve grown and grown over the years and you’re completely dominating your arena at the moment… a huge congratulations and I can’t wait to see where you take things this year!

A fantastic list. Thanks Brendan! And this list was how I found you last year. In terms of ‘favourites’ I particularly like Mark Manson’s blog – I like his humour, his intelligence and his ‘call a spade a spade’ approach. But there are many I haven’t explored yet, so probably many gems still to discover.

I was looking for a personal development blogs and stopped by your site. You have made my life easier by bringing a lists of all personal development blogs. Thanks for this fantastic list to kick start our 2016.

I just kick started my blog personality development blog.will soon u reach ,its because of your inspiring blog to make a personality development idea late night.. moreover these article… 🙂 Thanks BRENDAN for holding a better and better inspiring article from your blogs.. 🙂

But I am doubtful about how you rank those blogs. You are determining the ranking of a site based on Page Rank (PR) and Alexa Rank. Well, PR is an outdated metrics now as google doesn’t update it since 2014 and won’t update in the future either. As for as alexa rank is concerned, it’s a misleading metrics (everybody know in the industry).

I recommend, please use some other metrics like social engagement or on site engagement to measure a blog success.

Thanks for this aggregation Brendon, it’s really helpful. Knowing where to turn for reliable information on the Internet can be tricky. I’m sharing your list on my PPI FB page and look forward to diggin’ more of your goodness. To add to this discussion I’ve pulled together the Ulysses Contract along with other Free gratitude-building and mindfulness tools at http://www.policypillars.com, and in my new book “Putting Wisdom to Work~The Artful Science of Personal Policy for Mindful Living.” These have worked well for me, I hope you have a chance to check them out. ~j

Thanks for such a wonderful compilation. You must have put a lot of work in there. I tweeted to have the PDF version downloaded. I actually want to take some time and visit each and every one in that list.

How much would you charge for advertising here, and would you be willing to participate in an affiliate joint venture? I have a hot new product integrating law of attraction with brain entrainment tech.

I should say bravo like in a single word. This updated list is really helpful for getting all the bloggers altogether. Basically, I am owner of “Namaste UI” and follow some of blogger that you have mentioned in the list.

Things like, this surely motivate all the new bloggers who are getting hike among the blogger’s platform. It would be really good if regular basis update stays constantly in this list. Thanks a lot.

I think leaving the personal and multi-authored blogs combined isn’t a problem. I can imagine it’d be difficult to parse out and at the end of the day it doesn’t matter if the content comes from multiple people or one. If it’s inspirational and aids in personal development I think it belongs on the list.

I do a podcast where I read from many of these blogs (with their permission of course). So for anyone looking to hear personal development posts while you’re driving, etc. in quick, 10-minute episodes, instead of having to sit down and get in front of a computer to read them, search for Optimal Living Daily in your favorite podcast app!

I’ve been actively engaged in promoting Positive Psychology and Science of Happiness through my blog Happiness India Project (http://happyproject.in) since 2014. I would be grateful if you drop by my site and find it useful enough to be mentioned in a minuscule way in your podcast Optimal Living Daily.

Great list. Please consider adding our blog, Techealthiest, to the list. Our tips for health and happiness are as useful as you’ll find on the web. Take a look at http://www.techealthiest.com. Thanks!!!!!!!

I’ve been actively engaged in promoting Positive Psychology and Science of Happiness through my blog Happiness India Project (http://happyproject.in) since 2014. I would be grateful if you drop by my site and find it useful enough to be mentioned in a minuscule way in your blog.

This is a great blog post. I have been struggling with personal issues for 10 years and have found reaching out online to seek the advice of others has helped me through the good and bad time. I have always had relationship issues and have started to follow the advice of Dr. Robi Ludwig. I saw her on a tv show once and I really appreciated her take on current psychological issues. I have been following her twitter for updates and advice https://twitter.com/drrobiludwig?lang=en

I’ve loved looking at all of these blogs so much so, I’ve started my own! I’m not after loads of likes but I’d like to build a network of people who are going through the same thing and I know I could do with some encouragement!

this is such a great list. you got everyone of my favourites on the list. how lovely is that? nice post with much enlightening feeling of satisfaction to know that people are actually making impacts globally.
much love, George.

Hello there! You have such a great list of happiness and inspirational blogs! You shouldve include Moustafa Hamwi – the passion guy ‘s blog entitled Passion Sunday! It includes great write ups and motivational articles. Thanks again for this!

I’m a hundred percent agree about Passion Sunday.Honestly I’m a lazy person who does not do enough to develop myself but the passion guy changed that. His words are really inspiring. He should definitely be on the list.

Very good ranking, i believe that my blog will soon be rank top, I have worked seriously on it, my blog is on inspiration and personal development that inspires, empower, motive and encourage towards overcoming challenges in life and becoming successful. visit my blog http://www.austinemedia.com

Hi Brendan – there are some great personal development blogs that will probably never make it onto this type of list simply because they cover cutting-edge work and so they won’t have mass appeal (or high rankings on Alexa etc). For example, my own blog, Voice Dialogue and You!, has been a trusted resource for many years for people who do deep personal growth work and I’ve written popular articles for some of the blogs on your list (eg Tiny Buddha, Finer Minds). Yet I wouldn’t really expect Voice Dialogue to become popular any time soon because it deals with some psychological ideas that are only now being accepted and incorporated into psychology courses (although some of the concepts from Voice Dialogue have become mainstream such as the idea of inner selves as shown in the movie Inside Out). So, my request is that at some stage you compile a list of quality blogs that deal with the more leading-edge approaches to consciousness and personal development. Thank you and all the best with your journey as new parent (check out my posts on dealing with common parenting issues using Voice Dialogue!), Astrahttps://www.voicedialogue.com

This should be called “Top 100 Most Marketed Personal Development Blogs Trying To Sell You Something.” Anybody looking for a real inspirational teacher who gets knee-deep in the secrets of efficiency and life-improvement should check out Steve Paulina

I see myself rejoicing over being picked as one of the top 100 in the next year. Hoping I can get the help of you Brendan to make that happen. Sizzle is necessary but I will not compromise my content to add cyber trash. What is a guy to do to break free and accomplish something great without losing the focus of the site?

Hey,Brendan..I used to Read Personality development blogs once in a week or twice.Just now i came across your blog and felt me that aha now also listed here.. One of my favorite inspiring blog.Thanks for enlisting here..However,the fact that harleena singh (author) also provide motivational ideas around our life. That’s why i stick her a lot. I would like to do for all the inspiring bloggers listed above and you for the same.. 🙂 I will be updated with you.Please clarify my doubts if may i ask..
Thank you.

Fantastic list! I always love finding new things to feed my mind and soul, so thanks so much for providing all of these great resources to check out. Many of these are blogs that I’ve never even heard of. Looks like I have some reading to do!

Wow, great list of blogs. I can’t imagine how long that must have taken to come up with that list! I’d also recommend Jaret Grossman’s blog. He’s relatively newer than some of the blogs on your list, but he’s gaining popularity. Let me know what you think of his blog! http://blog.jaretgrossman.com/self-help/365-video-series/?order=asc

Hey, this is probably the best collection of self-development blogs and this is going to help me a lot. Your blog has been a source of inspiration for me and I always try to apply your teachings in real life.

Wow, Brendan; this is totally awesome! You give so much value here- it is like an oasis in the desert! I hope you’ll consider Answers from the Cosmos in 2017. It’s a short powerful blast of daily wisdom where thousands visit to contemplate, motivate and share: http://answersfromcosmos.blogspot.com/

That’s amazing. I have never seen such type of detailed, impartial and just list of motivational blogs. Thanks for doing justice and fair play. Great job in intj university VISIT US https://intj.university/

Cool list. I follow some of these blogs myself and they are an inspiration for my own self-improvement blog. My blog is a way for me to keep a journal of stuff that interests me, stuff that I want to learn about as well as things I can teach others. I started it as a fitness blog (so hence the domain name), but have since expanded it to include a variety of different things, especially on mindset and history. So I renamed it Renaissance Man Journal and can be found here: http://gainweightjournal.com/

Hi Brendan,
I feel honoured that my blog has been included in your top 100 list. That’s amazing – thank you! Blogging can be a solo pursuit at times and it is great to receive positive feedback.
Mandy X

I’m trying to locate a book that I skimmed briefly years ago. I was in a library so I don’t know how old it may have been, but it didn’t look like an old book to me.

Over the years I’ve realized that what little I read has influenced me and helped me more than I ever would have guessed. Since you said you are something of a student of the personal development/philosophy field, I was hoping the concept might ring a bell and maybe you can guess the book I read, or could point me in a promising direction.

What I seem to remember is a list of questions to ask yourself in times of trouble or disappointment. Although there is a chance that I was taking notes and created the following list myself out of what I read:

1) why am I unhappy? (If you aren’t sure, it’s important to try and find out)

2) what did I want to happen instead? (Again, if you can’t answer, that’s telling)

3) what all could I personally do to help get what I want/feel better? Did I actually do any of it? This one especially includes communicating well with other people that are involved.

4) did I do anything that might prevent/make it harder to get what I want? How did I get in my own way?

5) what do I think the other parties wanted? Why do I think they did/are doing what they did/are doing? Did I also contribute to unhappiness of theirs?

…As I said it’s been years, and this is my own paraphrasing. I just wish I could read the rest of the book now that I know how helpful this little piece has been to me.

Two final notes: first I’m aware that this is a similar concept to “Boundaries”, but I’m pretty sure I would remember it if that’s literally what I picked up that day.

Second, there is a chance that what I read was a single essay from a collection of essays… in that case I’m not sure I’ll ever stand a chance of finding it.

Thank you for any help you are willing to give, and I also want to say I’m glad to have this list of 100 blogs, I look forward to perusing them, even though I’ve mostly been totally off that topic.

Thanks for posting this list. I was amazed by how many websites I didnt actually recognize on the list. Which to me, shows a great deal of depth, breadth, and new sites to check out for new idea. I was looking for a guide like this to help me find a signal amongst the noise out there for self help. Much appreciated.

Not a lot out there that talks about personal blogs. Perhaps you should create a list of blogs that deal with inspirational experiences that don’t necessarily always provide advice. I have recently started one – http://rebootsocial.com/ – that has generated some level of interest.

Great article. What a great view of the “market.” If you’re on any Personal or Business Success Quest this list is amazingly invaluable. If you want to move your life from an ordinary world to an extraordinary world just spend your time exploring and experimenting with this list. Readers it’s now up to you. You can’t whine anymore about “I don’t know where to start my Success Quest.” You now have a place. Start your information aggregation and exploring right here.Right here!!! Once again thank you very much for this article.

Thanks for compiling such a great list, I personally love Nerd Fitness (Steve has built a great community) and Dumb Little Man. I have a site too called http://www.lifehacksandtips.com if you get time to check it out. I’ll be sure to check the rest of these blogs out!

Great list of blogs, self-help is definitely booming online! What I think is going to be really interesting is which blogs are STILL around in say 2019. So many blogs pop up, but how many people keep them going?

This is a really thorough list of blogs. I’ve have also started a self improvement blog and Hope to be on next year’s list. If anyone is interested in reading it you can go to http://www.LifeGuider.com

I have always wondered how we take things for granted and do not appreciate a normal day. This read is a complete motivation pack for those of us who have it right there but cannot see it. We need this to up lift our spirit.

Thanks for this Brennan! I’ve been looking for blog sites that I can follow. I don’t want to just follow anyone randomly. I want to follow people on who are on the top list. This definitely put me on that page. Thank you!

Made it an exercise to look up successful blogs in the area. You really made my life easy by compiling this great list! Always been a huge Tim Ferriss fan myself. If someone can help you, it’s definitely him.

Thanks for the list. Will make sure to join the party earlier next year! 🙂

Excellent resources Brenden!! Appreciate you building awareness for people like me that are just entering the personal development community!! I am in education and feel the field could greatly benefit from a lot of this work.